Bets On!
by IntertwinedFate
Summary: When Yuki and Shuichi switch jobs for a bet the results are horrifying...and hillarious. This is my first fanfiction so please leave comments!
1. The Drama Unfolds

Chapter 1-THE DRAMA UNFOLDS

_Through darkness and light_

_Lingering melodies in my thoughts_

_Echoes of your mind call out to me_

_Intertwining my fate with yours._

Shindo Shuichi set down his pen on the wooden bench and breathed a sigh of relief. Since the release of Bad Luck's newest album, Tohma-san had become even more determined to make Bad Luck a success. As Tohma said, even a band that sold a million copies could become obsolete if they only had one killer album. So, Shuichi had had come to the overlook to Tokyo where he wrote most of his songs, hoping to find some source of inspiration.

Shuichi picked up his pen and etched a title on his lyrics

Echoes of the Mind.

Hopefully the lyrics would satisfy Tohma-san and Sakano-san, but the approval Shuichi was looking for came from another source entirely.

Pulling on his safety orange sweater that had become necessary with the settling of evening, Shuichi started running for home.

"YUUUUUUUKI!" The shout was audible even from the back of the apartment where Eiri Yuki sat quietly, fingers tapping out a rhythm on a small typewriter. As the sound reached Yuki in his study, the rhythm began to break. There were a few half-hearted taps, then Yuki sank his head into his hands, crushing his glasses against his forehead.

"YUUUUUUKI, YUUUUUUKI, YUUUUUKI!" Shuichi burst into the study, his face alight with joy. "I'M HOOOOOME!"

"I would never have known," Yuki muttered under his breath.

Shuichi ran to sit beside Yuki.

"YUUUUKIYUUUKIIFINISHEDMYSONGANDITHINKITSGOINGTOGETUSANOTHERSINGLEHIROSGOINGTOBESOHAPPYTHAT-"

A wad of papers flew into Shuichi's head at that moment, breaking he constant stream of chatter. "You are without doubt the most annoying person I have ever met," Yuki drawled, flexing his fingers, trying to return to the rhythm that had been going so well before the interruption.

Shuichi peeked over Yuki's shoulder at the typewriter. "What's this one about?"

Yuki sighed with relief at the semi-return to normalcy in Shuichi's voice, however short it may be. Though, Yuki mused, this was probably a break from normalcy rather than a return to it. "YUUUUKI!"

Yuki sighed. "It's about a man and his lover who are separated during a war in their country. Later, they meet up, but the woman has turned to her childhood friend for comfort while her lover was away. So, there's the love triangle and then…" Yuki stopped at the blank look in Shuichi's eyes. "Let's see this new song of yours then."

"RIGHT!" Shuichi pulled off his orange backpack and pretended to dig for the lyrics while clutching them in his hand. Yuki rolled his eyes and turned back to his typewriter. "FOUND IT!" Shuichi handed the lyrics to Yuki with a blazing smile stretched across his face.

Yuki scanned over the lyrics and then paused to reread them. Internally, he smiled. Shuichi was improving-but then, Yuki was probably the cause of that. Yuki pulled a red pen from his shirt pocket and saw Shuichi cringe. Yuki hummed as his circled various verses and words, crossing out some and then wrote at the bottom:

It still sucks. You have moved up to the level of fourth-grader but don't expect your fans to be as generous as your lover.

Yuki smiled again. Shuichi could sing the user's manual to his typewriter and his fans would still adore him. But best not to inflate Shuichi's ego any more than it already was.

Tohma-san may thank me, but you're another story, Yuki thought, reading Shuichi's work again.

Shuichi crept closer to the typewriter, knowing Yuki probably wouldn't approve of Shuichi's observance of his work. Everything had to be so secretive with Yuki.

P. 721

Shuichi felt his jaw drop and scanned his mind for memory of a book that long that he had ever read. He vaguely remembered being assigned Evening Falls by Ichigo Sasaki in high school. That had been a monster of a book! But then, Shuichi paused as he remembered that he had never actually cracked the cover of the thing. His English teacher had praised him on the perfect condition of his book when he returned it, but his final exam-that had been another story.

Ryuu sat musing upon the deplorable direction his life had guided him. His face was the picturesque representation of inevitable truth yet disconsolate mourning. Kitara, with the desensitizing effect she had on his nature, still managed to tarnish his heart with her misdemeanor.

Yuki looked up from Shuichi's lyrics with a start as he heard a crash resonating behind him. Turning around, he saw Shuichi clutching his eyes.

"YUKI! WHAT LANGUAGE IS THAT?"

Yuki glanced at his work. "Ah! You saw the scene where Ryuu debates about his love for Kitara-I'm particularly proud of it. It's the turning point for the whole book."

"It's…UNNATURAL!" Shuichi gasped, still covering his eyes.

"I could say the same thing about your lyrics," Yuki remarked. "Tell me…have they decided to have you as a guest on Sesame Street next month to promote this new song? That's certainly the only audience it'll ever be suited for."

Yuki watched as Shuichi's face contorted in sorrow. Teasing Shuichi could be so much fun…

"But, but-this, this is the BEST!" Shuichi stammered as tears streamed down his face. "The BEST!"

It wasn't a full 10 seconds before Shuichi had fallen to the floor bawling, clutching Yuki's leg for support, while Yuki tried to suppress his laughter. Trying to maintain his guise, Yuki flipped open his lighter and lit the end of a cigarette that had been stuck in his pocket.

"At least mine is _readable_!" Shuichi whined, cutting off the circulation in Yuki's leg with his death grip.

Yuki took a long draw from his cigarette and responded. "Believe it or not, Shuichi, some of us actually enjoy intellect-the stimulant of the brain. Unlike your work which kills it."

"Mine is more fun!" Shuichi pouted.

Yuki sighed and sat back in his maroon swivel chair, preparing to write more of Ryuu's monologue.

Gradually the sobs stilled beneath Yuki's desk and Shuichi crawled out, still sulking and muttering and hanging onto Yuki's leg.

Ryuu despaired for the endearment that had drawn him to Kitara's side, yet the aftermath still wrapped its whisper about his soul. O, God, if only…

"-could write better books and sell better too…" Shuichi was muttering.

Yuki paused and rolled his eyes. "Shuichi, you couldn't write a novel if your life depended on it. Stick to the poems and leave me to my work." Yuki shook his leg, trying to dispatch Shuichi's seizure upon his leg. The leg was now faintly numb and only the pressure of Shuichi's grip reminded him that it was still attached.

"Could too." Shuichi pouted.

"Forgive me," Yuki laughed. "I wasn't referring to that crap in the young adult section-even YOU could do that. I meant a dream, a vision for others to grasp onto in their waking hours and an image that drifts with them even through unconsciousness."

"Yeah, well if you tried to write a song, the only station that would play it would be 99.7," Shuichi retorted.

Yuki winced at the mention of Kytai-the local NPR for Tokyo. Every local artist went on it at least once. Shuichi had been invited 8 times and after the first (and only!) time he had written a collection of morbid, angry lyrics that contained many images of dismembered body parts. Apparently, Nanami, the host, had played Mr. Happy-the children's lullaby writer right after Shuichi. Then, they had been forced to debate songwriting techniques.

"Shuichi, I must end this or else my editor will be banging on the door demanding my head on a pike," Yuki said, glancing longingly toward his typewriter. "Here's a bet for you-you'll write a novel. I'll record a CD. In the span of 24 hours. Whoever sells the least copies has to wear THIS for a month!"

Yuki dragged Shuichi into the bedroom and thrust open the closet drawers. Taking a deep breath, he pulled aside rows upon rows of black suits to reveal a grocery sack. Yuki covered his eyes and then reached into the bag, drawing out a swirl of color in his hand. There was a scream and Yuki opened his eye, careful not to focus too closely upon the cloth.

"Behold…a gift from my great aunt Risa!"

In Yuki's hand was a shirt-a button down shirt of a pale greenish yellow with pink polka dots. Across the back was a design that when looked closer at revealed a huge yellow and black happy face. The red diagonal stripes coinciding with the polka dots just made it worse.

Yuki shuddered and packed the shirt safely back in the bag and shoved it back in the closet. "Are you game?" Yuki questioned with a smirk.

"I dunno Yuki," Shuichi replied with an evil grin. "How do you think the girls will favor you wearing that on your newest book tour? Lucky you've got me."

Yuki smacked Shuichi on the head with a pillow. "Say goodbye to your next music video-you're going down, Shindo!"


	2. Yuki Meets Sakano

"Wait, wait, let me get this straight," Sakano, the manager of Bad Luck, said as he scratched his head in confusion. "Where's Shindo-san? He's late."

Yuki sighed in annoyance. "As I've TOLD you, Shuichi is taking a short break. You can expect him back tomorrow. In the meantime, Shuichi has given me written permission to take his place in Bad Luck as the new vocalist and songwriter.

Sakano's eyes opened even wider and his mouth morphed into a silent scream.

"Look, just get me a guitarist and a keyboard and we'll all be happy, k?"


	3. Shuichi and the Typewriter

Shuichi settled happily at Yuki's place in the study. For this ONE time he had been permitted to sit in the maroon swivel chair and for this ONE time he had been permitted to touch the precious typewriter that Yuki fawned over like a small child. Shuichi looked to see a small post-it stuck to the keys of the typewriter in Yuki's elegant script.

No food or drink within 10 feet of the typewriter—I mean it Shuichi! Yuki

Shuichi considered this for a moment and then bounded off to the kitchen to retrieve some peanut butter to help him think through this new complication.

Back in the maroon swivel char with a mile-high stack of peanut-butter crackers and a tall glass of coke, Shuichi considered Yuki's story. It wasn't that it was BAD exactly. Everything Yuki created was embodied with his artful mind. It had potential…and it was up to Shuichi to keep that potential alive. After washing down his coke with only a few casualties on the keys of the typewriter, Shuichi began to peel pages from the typewriter and toss them into the trash-starting with 721.


	4. Yuki's First Song

"Hmmm…" Yuki considered. He handed his newly written lyrics to Hiro, the guitarist. "Well, sing me your praises, or rather, leave the singing to me. Poor Shuichi…I actually feel kinda sorry for guy."

Hiro put down his guitar to pick up the papers from Yuki's outstretched hand. Yuki continued to smile proudly as he propped his feet on a table and leaned back in his chair.

JUDICIARY AFFECTION

_Neeeeohhhhhneeeohhhhneeeohhhh_

_I walked into the coffee bar and sat next to you._

_My heart was pounding but I dismissed it as heartburn which I usually get after eating large portions of red meat._

_You talked of the weather and the possibility for rain._

_That would be nice because the lilies you just planted don't like this goddamn drought._

_I ordered an extra sweet, triple shot vanilla with a hint of hazelnut latte._

_I like the smooth taste on my tongue-it reminds me of…_

"CHRIST EIRI, WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?" Hiro gasped.

"My song, if you will," Yuki replied with a grin. "Now, I think D major would be a good key but…"

Yuki watched in confusion as Hiro took the lyrics and pushed them into the blender he kept in the practice room for brain-stimulating smoothies during late-night practices.

"WHERE ARE YOU, SHUICHI?" Hiro cried.


	5. Shuichi and the Editor

The typewriter was trickier to use than Shuichi had expected. If you didn't hit the key in just the right place, the key next to it would sink as well creating an unreadable mess. Shuichi paused to survey the sea of crumpled papers surrounding the desk and sighed. This wasn't as easy as Yuki made it appear, but Shuichi felt he was headed in the right direction. Shuichi pulled the paper out of the typewriter with a 'ding' to reread his handiwork.

ShinySparklingShinySparklingShinySparkling

Ryuu's jacket was shiny shiny and sparkling. Ryuu was tall.

The jacket would fit him. Kitara would like his jacket. Hikaru didn't have a sparkly jacket. Ryuu would sparkle with Kitara.

Shuichi flexed his sore fingers and picked up the phone sitting next to the typewriter. He dialed the number Yuki had written out for him. After a few brief rings a woman picked up the phone.

"Eiri-san! You have no idea how glad I am that you called! Studio 36 wants to book an interview on your upcoming release."

Shuichi laughed and he could hear the woman on the other end sigh with relief.

"At least you're not in a bad mood-you usually hang up on me by now."

"This isn't Yuki. I'm SHINDO SHUICHI!"

There was a pause and the woman said, "Shindo-san, could I speak to Eiri-san please? It's very important."

Shuichi giggled. "Yuki's very busy. I'm writing instead. Come by and take a look at your publisher's new bestseller."

There was another pause-a very long one. "HEY!" Shuichi yelled. "YOU THERE?"

"Let me take some arsenic and I'll get back to you," the woman replied. The line clicked as she hung up. The dull beeping in Shuichi's ear sounded, reminding him to hang up. Reluctantly, he did so, running a hand through his untidy hair. "Hmmm… I thought Yuki explained things already," he considered.


	6. Yuki gets Irritated

"Look, it's been four hours and you've done nothing but humiliate us," Hiro said through clenched teeth. "I'm about ready to take my electric and smash it through your skull and apoligize to Shuichi later."

Yuki was up from his reclining pose in the practice room in an instant. There was a click as Hiro suddenly found a handgun pointed at his chest. "Don't…you…dare…threaten…me," Yuki whispered. Hiro remained silent, his eyes fixed on the gun. After what seemed an eternity, Yuki replaced the gun in his jacket and sat back down, humming to himself as he scrawled his pen across a notebook in a new attempt.

Hiro backed against the wall farthest from Yuki and whispered to Suguru, the keyboardist, "Where the hell did he get a gun?!"


	7. Shuichi's Life is Threatened

Tokijaki Kana sat across from Shuichi at his desk and read over the pages Shuichi had presented her with. Kana was amazed at how often the words 'shiny' and 'sparkly' could be used in a single sentence.

"What else have you got?" Kana questioned, trying to remain calm as her hands shook.

"THAT'S ALL!" Shuichi yelled. "ALL!"

Kana gulped and took a deep breath before she spoke. "Get back on that typewriter. We're not leaving this house until I get a semi-readable manuscript that won't make my boss puke when he reads it."

Shuichi's face fell and he whispered, "But it was good wasn't it?"

Kana paused and took in Shuichi's pained expression. "No," she finally declared. Shuichi bust into tears. Kana screamed in frustration. "START TYPING OR I'M SERIOUSLY GOING TO MURDER YOU!"

Shuichi scrambled back to the typewriter, tripping over his feet in his haste. Yuki hadn't informed him that his editor was a homicidal psycho.


	8. Yuki's 56th song

Yuki took a long puff from his cigarette and considered his latest masterpiece. From what Shuichi had told him, Yuki had expected Hiro would be easy to work with, but apparently Shuichi had lied. Yuki considered his many artistic expressions that now formed a pile of sludge in the bottom of Hiro's blender. The blender hummed contentedly and Yuki sighed. Hiro would have to shape up soon or else Yuki was going to get irritated. Yuki wasn't very fun when he was irritated.

"Here," Yuki said with a broad smile. "If you don't like this, there's something wrong with you."

Hiro gravely accepted the papers and closed his eyes, muttering a short prayer before he chanced to look at them.

Dismemberment

_Neeeeohhhhhneeeeohhhhneeeeohhhh_

_You won't hear criticism of this song._

_The critics are stored in my basement._

_I got tired of their rambling nonsense._

_Now they're mostly dead and my handgun is satisfied._

_I think we've reached an understanding._

Yuki smiled as Hiro's eyes opened wider than one would have thought possible. "Suguru," he called. "We've got our first-let's work on the chords while Eiri-san contemplates his next piece.

"I think we've reached an understanding," Yuki murmured, uncapping his pen and beginning to write once more.


	9. Shuichi's Masterpiece

Shuichi's brow was wrinkled in frustration as he carefully tapped out a sentence on the typewriter. Kana had retired to the kitchen where Yuki kept his strong liquor for special occasions.

"Can't you go any faster?!" she shrieked from the kitchen, her voice slurred by the amount of alcohol she had consumer. "We have a DEADLINE to meet!"

Shuichi smiled. "No need to worry, Tokijaki-san. This draft is better!"

"Better be," Kana muttered as she threw down another shot of vodka. "Alright, let's see it." Shuichi grinned with satisfaction as Kana bent over the typewriter.

Ryuu had a dog. Kitara liked dogs. Maybe Kitara would like Fluffy. Fluffy had a collar. It was very shiny. Ryuu liked to watch the sparkles.

There was a scream and Kana grabbed Shuichi by the throat. "WORK…HARDER!" she panted, shoving Shuichi back down in the swivel chair.

Shuichi rubbed his throat and frowned. What could be wrong this time? Shuichi tapped his fingers against the tabletop in thought. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. It wasn't SPARLKLY enough!

"Hang on, Tokijaki-san. I've got it now!" Shuichi yelled to Kana, who had returned to the liquor cabinet.


	10. Yuki Sings!

"Okay," Hiro sighed. "We've got 5 songs. Let's see how you do with the vocals." Yuki grinned and caught the microphone that Hiro threw to him. Hiro bent over to strap on his guitar. When he looked up he gasped. "Eiri-san, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Yuki had taken off both his black jacket and his black t-shirt and was now knotting his shirt into a headband which he pulled over his head.

"The MOOD, Hiro," Yuki smirked as he began waving the microphone around his head. "You of all people should know that."

Hiro turned to face the wall and said with his back to Yuki. "Very, very wrong. Now, 1…2…3!"

Hiro began strumming some complicated chords and Suguru chimed in with the keyboard. When Hiro nodded (to the wall), Yuki began to wail. "YOU WON'T HEAR CRITICISM OF THIS SONG…"

The sound was similar to that of a dying animal…

No…Hiro thought. It was more like the sound of the squealing brakes of his 1972 Toyota.

"STOP!" Suguru cried. The keyboard was abandoned while Suguru clutched his ears in pain.

Yuki reached toward the inside of his jacked pocket and Hiro quickly stated, "Eiri-san, keep singing. We just aren't used to talent as natural and remarkable as yours."

Yuki smiled in satisfaction and began his shrieking again.

"NEEEEOHHHNEEEOHHHH!"


	11. Shuichi's Masterpiece Continued

Shuichi's pile of finished papers was growing even as the contents of the liquor cabinet in the kitchen were rapidly diminishing. Shuichi felt he was growing more comfortable with typing though the spilled coke between the keys didn't make things any easier. Every now and then a key would stick once it was pushed down and Shuichi would have to pry it up with a pencil sitting by the typewriter.

"Shindo-san," a wavering voice called from the kitchen. "Are you writing?!"

"NO WORRIES TOKIJAKI-SAN!" Shuichi called. There was a 'ding' as Shuichi pulled his last paper from the machine. Shuichi patted the typewriter as one would a dog or small child. "READY, TOKIJAKI-SAN!" Shuichi yelled. Grabbing his pencil, he scrawled a title onto the stack of papers: SHINY SPARKLES.


	12. A Scene of Intense Depression

"Alright Suguru, I think we're ready," Hiro murmured. Since the recording of their first song (DISMEMBERMENT), Hiro had begun consuming very large amounts of alcohol. Right now, Hiro gazed steadily at the floor, a beer can in one hand, his face a pale sickly green. "Play it back."

Suguru stretched out his finger and with some hesitation touched the small triangle on their CD player. Hiro perked up as his guitar riffs echoed throughout the practice room. As Yuki's wailing began, Hiro slumped lower in his seat, his fist crunching the can clutched in his hand.

"Skip to the next track," Hiro muttered. Suguru did so and Yuki's off-key screaming once again filled the small room. "Alright," Hiro winced. "Call in Tohma-san. We've done all we can."

Suguru and Hiro shared a look-one of intense sorrow and humiliation. "Right," Suguru answered.


	13. Yuki and Shuichi Reunited

"Alright Suguru, I think we're ready," Hiro murmured. Since the recording of their first song (DISMEMBERMENT), Hiro had begun consuming very large amounts of alcohol. Right now, Hiro gazed steadily at the floor, a beer can in one hand, his face a pale sickly green. "Play it back."

Suguru stretched out his finger and with some hesitation touched the small triangle on their CD player. Hiro perked up as his guitar riffs echoed throughout the practice room. As Yuki's wailing began, Hiro slumped lower in his seat, his fist crunching the can clutched in his hand.

"Skip to the next track," Hiro muttered. Suguru did so and Yuki's off-key screaming once again filled the small room. "Alright," Hiro winced. "Call in Tohma-san. We've done all we can."

Suguru and Hiro shared a look-one of intense sorrow and humiliation. "Right," Suguru answered.

This night, Yuki was in a pleasant mood for once, Shuichi noticed. He hummed off-key as they ate their take-out from the restaurant down the street. "So," Shuichi said through a mouth of rice. "Howdgommm?"

Yuki munched contentedly on a piece of dried salmon. "If you're referring as to the contents of my day, it was actually quite nice. And you?"

"Awesome!" Shuichi answered.

"Well, we'll see, won't we?" Yuki replied with a mischievous smile.

Shuichi grinned. "Of course. I'm just telling you, my day was pretty freaking awesome!"

Yuki reached across the table to ruffle Shuichi's hair. "YOU'RE pretty awesome," he remarked.

"Yuki…" Shuichi whispered as he stared at Yuki with eyes filled with devotion.

"I just want you to know that before I steal your job."

Shuichi leaped to tackle Yuki. Perched upon Yuki's chest, Shuichi reached down to brush Yuki's lips with his own. "That's okay," Shuichi said. "Because I'll just take yours."

Yuki rolled his eyes. "Your turn for the dishes, kid."


	14. Shuichi's Results!

3 Days Later

November 3rd. The date rang in Shuichi's mind as he awoke and gazed at the neon light of his alarm clock. "YUUUUKI!" Shuichi yelled. "IT'S 5:30!"

Yuki groaned as Shuichi pounced on his semi-consciousness body. "Shuichi, it's SATURDAY for crying out loud!"

"WHEEE!" Shuichi sang as he bounced on the bed. "YUUUUKI! IT'S TODAY!" With that, Shuichi yanked the covers from Yuki's body. A resonating thud followed as Shuichi was kicked across the room.

"Little brat," Yuki muttered as he swung his body out of bed and searched for a suitable outfit for the day.

In the car, Shuichi was unbelievably cheerful for so early in the morning. Yuki directed his shiny black sports car though the morning traffic full of similar idiots who felt a calling to rise before it was decent. They were headed to Yuki's publishing company after three restful days that both Shuichi and Yuki had taken off from work to enjoy each others company. Of course, the real reason Yuki had taken time off from work was because he knew he had to find the results before he could write anything better than garbage.

The first destination had been chosen by a furious match of rock-paper-scissors the night before. The final score had been 363-45, Yuki's favor. So, he had decided they should view Shuichi's result first. That way, he would know how good his chances were.

As they turned into thee parking lot, Shuichi was bubbling with happiness. They made it to the office with many stares as Shuichi found it necessary to prove to Yuki that he COULD TOO cartwheel up stairs. As they reached the door, Yuki grabbed Shuichi and held him in place as he rang the bell.

Kana Tokijaki opened the door. She had dark circles under her eyes and her hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in a week. "Shindo-san, Eiri-san, how nice!" she exclaimed half-heartedly. "Yes, I know you're anxious to hear the results. Come, come."

Yuki followed Kana, keeping his hand clamped on Yuki's shoulder. "Be good!" Yuki muttered quietly. Shuichi continued to smile at the walls as if he hadn't heard, which he probably hadn't. Yuki sighed and dragged Shuichi along beside him.

As Shuichi and Yuki entered a small room with a TV and a computer, there was an exclamation of pleasure. Yuki's eye was drawn to a banner on the wall. He had seen many of these posters for his own works. Now, he stared at Shuichi's, openmouthed.

FROM A NEW AND REFRESHING VOICE IN LITERATURE COMES A NOVEL ABOUT SEARCHING AND FINDING ONES IDENTITY. POWERFUL AND MOVING, IT'S SHINY SPARKLES BY SHINDO SHUICHI!

There was a photograph of Shuichi waving at the camera and grinning like an idiot next to the words.

Shuichi pointed at the poster. "LOOK YUUUKI-IT'S MEEEE!" Shuichi ran to examine his picture up close wile Yuki crept closer to Kana.

"I hope he wasn't too much of a nuscience," Yuki whispered. "Here-compensation." Yuki passed a check into Kana's hands. Instead of protesting as Yuki had expected, Kana gratefully took the check.

"Well…it certainly was an interesting experience," Kana remarked. "He's quite a person."

Yuki nodded in agreement as he watched Shuichi dancing some form of Irish step dance on the table in front of them.

"Alright boys," Kana called. "Ratings should be in-let's see."

Yuki noticed Kana crossing her fingers as she walked over to the computer. Shuichi leaped onto Yuki's back to gain a better vantage point of the computer.

"And the number sold is…." Kana paused. "One."

Yuki watched as Shuichi jumped off his back. "Now Shuichi, remember, writing takes practice and you don't always…" Yuki's speech was cut off as Shuichi grabbed Yuki around the waist.

"YUUUUKI! SOMEONE BOUGHT MY BOOK!"

Yuki tried to suppress his laughter. "I think we'd all be a lot happier if we lived like him," Yuki whispered to Kana, pointing at Shuichi who was giggling with happiness. "Good job, Shuichi!" he exclaimed in a louder voice.

Kana kept typing into the computer. "Oh, look!' she exclaimed. "We have an email for you, Shindo-san!" She began reading:

Shindo-san

I immensely enjoyed your delightful novel. I have been inspired to search for beauty in my own life and I want to thank you. You are truly a demigod, Shindo-san. My favorite line had to be:

Ryuu watched as the flowers around him sparkled. Sparkles were good. Even love couldn't match the shiny sparkliness of the flowers.

I have since divorced by husband and devote all my waking

hours to rereading your artful prose.

Thank you for your wonderful work!

Yours truly,

R.T.

Shuichi's eyes bulged with awe and Yuki pleasantly ruffled his hair. Time enough to remind him that one was a very, very easy number to beat.

"Thanks for your time," Yuki called to Kana as he dragged Shuichi back out to the car. "We appreciate it."

"Thank_ you_ Eiri-san," Kana whispered as he passed. "Your check should cover the printing process along with a few of my missed meals."

As Yuki and Shuichi departed, Kana handed Shuichi the poster that had hung on the wall. "You can keep this. I don't think we'll be needing it anymore. Goodbye Shindo-san. It was……………nice."

Yuki had to help Shuichi with his seatbelt as he seemed to have gone limp with happiness.

"She liked my book," Shuichi drawled.

"She sure did," Yuki pleasantly agreed as he started the engine. Curiously, he wondered just what Shuichi had eaten for breakfast.

"YUUUUKI-I KNOW!" Shuichi hollered.

"Huh? Breakfast?" Yuki replied, startled out of his thoughts.

"No! I know where we're going! TO THE MUSIC STUDIO!!!"


	15. Yuki's Results!

As they pulled into the parking lot, Shuichi observed Yuki. He sure did seem confident. Shuichi pulled open the door and ran ahead to meet Sakano.

"LONG time no see," the manager wearily said.

Shuichi slapped Sakano on the back. "Silly, it's only been 3 days! Don't worry, life goes on."

With that, Shuichi ran into the studio. Sakano started after him in amazement. An intelligent remark from Shindo-san? This was going to be a _very _odd day.

Shuichi led Yuki into the practice room where Hiro and Suguru were waiting. Hiro was strumming 'Rage Beat' idly on his guitar while Suguru seemed to be taking a nap with his keyboard as pillow.

Yuki strolled briskly into the room, greeting Hiro with a high-five that seemed pretty one-sided to Shuichi. Shuichi frowned. At all the meetings for CD rankings he had attended, the band had always been sparkling with energy.

Suguru lifted his head from his keyboard, not appearing to notice the lines of the keys etched into his face.

Shuichi pulled Hiro aside. "Hey…I hope it wasn't too much trouble."

Hiro grunted. "Not at all, Shuichi, not at all. Only 2 near death encounters and I only tried to kill myself by jumping out the window once. Really, quite a good rec-"

Shuichi smacked Hiro on the back to stop the complaining and rolled his eyes. "Geez, you'd think I'd assigned you to work with Jack the Ripper."

"Couldn't be much worse," Hiro sighed.

"Anyway." Shuichi dug in his pocket. "Here-as a thank you present from your best friend." Shuichi handed an envelope to Hiro. Hiro accepted it curiously and after shaking it to make sure there was nothing alive inside, opened it. Inside were two small strips of paper. Two tickets to Les Desiones-the Rose of Czechoslovakia. Hiro's jaw dropped.

"For you and Ayaka," Shuichi explained. "Two front row tickets to the most romantic opera in all Japan."

Hiro could only stare. "Well…that DOES make it all worthwhile," he said. "I can't wait to tell Ayaka-she's been wanting to see this for months!"

"HEY!" Suguru yelled, suddenly more awake. "The ratings must be in!"

"Oh boy," Hiro groaned quietly.

Yuki sat down and smiled in what appeared to be a modest yet gracious way. The band members held their breath as footsteps sounded outside the door.

Tohma-san entered the room, an envelope held in his hands. "Well, here you go," he said. "I'll leave you to your cry…I mean 'partying.'" Tohma stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him with a small click.

Hiro looked at the envelope in his hands. Taking a deep breath, he opened it and pulled out the slip of paper. "Number of copies sold," Hiro recited. There was a very long pause. Yuki filled it by drumming his fingers on the table in a casual manner. "One."

The drumming abruptly stopped. Shuichi ran to throw his arms about Yuki's neck. "YUUUKI-you sold it! I'm so happy for you!"

Yuki seemed torn between disbelief and excruciating pain, and not just from the death grip Shuichi had on his neck.

"Get the security guard," Hiro hissed to Suguru, keeping a close eye on Yuki's jacket.

"Give it a moment," Suguru whispered back.

"Let me see that," Yuki said in a dull monotone. Hiro quickly handed the paper to Yuki and backed away even quicker. "Hmmm…a note from Tohma-san," Yuki muttered while ignoring Shuichi who was still clutching Yuki about the neck and giggling. Yuki began to read aloud to himself.

Eiri-san

I congratulate you on expanding your boundaries but I have to ask

you not to do so here anymore. Since playing 'Dismemberment" on the radio, our mailbox has been flooded with hate mail. When we switched to 'You Don't Bother Me So Much When You're Dead' we received death threats. 'Hurry Up and Fuck Off Already' brought picketed protesters to the studio. I look forward to reading your latest NOVEL!

Regards,

Tohma

The paper crumpled in Yuki's fist. "Let's go home, Shuichi," he said. After Yuki exited the room, Suguru and Hiro shared a sigh of immense relief.

"Why's he so upset?" Shuichi asked, frowning in confusion. "I don't understand."

"I dunno," Hiro replied. "Some people just seem determined to dwell on the negatives in their lives. Go cheer him up."

Shuichi nodded and raced out of the room after Yuki. "YUUUUUKI! WAIT UP!"


	16. Another Sort of Happy Ending

At home, Shuichi and Yuki were collapsed on the sofa. "Will you play your CD for me sometime?" Shuichi asked innocently.

"Sure," Yuki replied. "Knowing you, you'd probably love it."

"I bet I would!" Shuichi exclaimed.

Shuichi dug in his orange backpack for the poster he had received. "Where should I hang this?" he asked Yuki.

"In the bathroom," Yuki answered automatically. "The colors blend together nicely."

"Right!" Shuichi said and ran off to the bathroom to hang up his poster.

A knock came at the door, interrupting Yuki's moment of peace. Reluctantly, Yuki got up to answer it.

"Package for Shindo Shuichi," the postman said, handing a clipboard to Yuki. Yuki scrawled his signature, hastily thanked the man, and took the package.

"SHUICHI! MAIL!" Instantly, Shuichi came running out of the bathroom at a dangerous speed, the hammer still clutched in his hand. As he saw the package, the hammer fell from his hand. "A package? For ME?"

"Believe it or not," Yuki answered, tossing the package to Shuichi.

Shuichi caught it and tore it open. Digging through the packing peanuts, Shuichi cam across a letter and a folded package wrapped in orange tissue paper. Shuichi ripped open the paper to reveal…"AHHHHHHHHH!"

Yuki opened his eyes and sat up from his reclining position on the couch. There was an exact duplicate of _the shirt._ Pale greenish yellow, spotted with pink polka dots and run through by red stripes, it couldn't be mistaken for anything else. Yuki burst out in laughter and grabbed the letter. It read:

Shindo-kun,

I don't know if you received my letter directed to the publishing company. The mail these days is so unreliable. Consider this as a token of my thanks for writing such a beautiful novel. I gave one to my nephew some years ago and looked so charming on him.

Yours truly,

RisaTokamaru

Shuichi glanced at Yuki over the profanity of clothing that was _the shirt._ "We…we…we both sold exactly one," Shuichi stammered.

"That means we BOTH sold the most," Yuki argued. "We BOTH won."

"That's not the way it works Yuki and you know it," Shuichi somberly mused. "We both LOST. There's no way out of it. We both pay the price." And with that Shuichi pulled the shirt over his head.

Yuki glanced at Shuichi out of the corner of his eye, afraid to look too closely. But…actually…

"It suits you," Yuki muttered. "Odd and totally unpredictable. It's…it's …you!"

"Then go get yours!" Shuichi ordered.

Yuki huffed irritably and stalked out of the room to the bedroom. Shoving aside row upon row of black suits, he drew the grocery bag out of the closet and revealed the shirt. 'I'm going to kill you for this, Shuichi," Yuki muttered before pulling it over his head.

When Yuki reentered the living room, Shuichi shrieked with joy. "Yuki…you look GOOD!" Yuki paused to survey himself. It was true-the color did bring out his eyes more than the black suits and it made him feel (and look, he supposed) twenty years younger. Never mind he was only 22.

Still…"A month is a long time, Shuichi," Yuki warned.

"Fine, a week," Shuichi agreed. "WE LOOK LIKE A COUPLE!"

Yuki groaned and sank back into his maroon swivel chair that he had abandoned for the last three days, the one solace in his disturbing life. He happened to glance down which might have been a mistake.

"SHUICHI! WHERE IS MY STORY? AND WHAT _**HAPPENED**_TO MY TYPEWRITER?!!"


	17. Epilogue

Things worked out well for Shuichi and Yuki, despite the end of this story. After many hours of making Shuichi visit every recycling plant in town to search for the papers, Yuki finally admitted to himself that they were lost. He sat down and was motivated out of desperation to write a new novel, something totally different from his previous romances. This was a story about two men, Shiro and Yori who worked hard to overcome their differences to be together in the end. The novel was wept over by whole nation, and Yuki was hailed as the modern Shakespeare of Japan. He received enough in earnings to buy a NEW computer to replace his typewriter. Yuki also bought a heat sensor that recognized Shuichi's fingerprints. Whenever his hands touched ANY part of the computer, an alarm Yuki carried around his neck sounded and Yuki was able to save his treasure in time.

Shuichi's next CD became an instant hit. 'Echoes of the Mind' scored top on all the billboards for 6 weeks straight. The band took a tour across the world and visited the Queen of England, the Prime Minster, and 238 other important figures.

Shuichi's novel, after 3 years, became worth millions of dollars because of only the one copy that was sold. It was regarded as a turning point in the authoring of YA literature and was purchased by Tokyo University for their museum.

As for Yuki's CD, it never quite caught on. But Shuichi and Yuki spent many nights singing along to the lyrics and it brought them both great happiness. Kytai, (99.7) spent many hours playing the songs on Yuki's CD. Yuki refused the interview.

Hiro took Ayaka to the opera and confessed his love at the end of Act I. They were married 4 weeks later.

As for Great Aunt Risa, she may have been the luckiest person of all. For, while Yuki toured for his book and Shuichi for his music, they both wore the shirt and it became the next big fad. Unknown to Yuki and Shuichi, Risa had made the shirts herself to ease her insomnia. Instantly, Risa Tokamaru was hailed as a hero of modern fashion and was paid $100,000 for every shirt she made. The streets were soon filled with adoring fans wearing her masterpieces. And Risa was able to buy prescribed medication (Lunesta) to ease her insomnia.

And they all lived happily ever after.


End file.
